A Whole New World 6.0: Blood Is Thicker
by Denigoddess2001
Summary: Vampire: The Masquerade/ Gargoyles/ Bible Xover. Whew! Vampires are saviors and Guardian Angels have Chiropteran Wings. And One Son makes an Exlusive appearance to the clan. Story Arc Finale! Please R and R!


Name: Denigoddess2001  
Address: Denigoddess2001@yahoo.com  
Saga: A Whole New World  
Episode: 6.0  
Title: Blood is Thicker....  
Rating: PG-13  
Summary:  
Disclaimer: Gargoyles don't belong to me. They belong to Disney. Much of this story was influenced by White Wolf's "Vampire: The Masquerade." No infringement intended. All original characters are property of their deity (ME) Denigoddess2001.  
  
Author's note: I've taken "The Book Of Nod" as my source of inspiration and turned it on its ear. I wish to thank Dorian and Sarah for their information about Vampire. Without their help, writing this final installment would have been impossible. There are several sites on the 'Net about Vampire: The Masquerade. Check out White Wolf's official site for more information.  
  
  
**************  
  
Linoma Bluffs Metroplex  
September 2nd, 2006  
12:00AM  
  
Wren felt the ancient, primordial forces course through her body. Her natural receptiveness to the ebbing energies caused a resonating thrum to course through her being. The young Nightkind swayed to and fro with the natural flow of the power rushing along the leylines that traveled throughout the city. She brushed back a tendril of honey brown hair and pushed the bridge of her gold-rimmed spectacles up the bridge of her nose. She knelt close to the street and felt the raw heat and power of unrestrained Magick warming the pavement.  
  
The young woman let go of her humanity and let the Sidhe blood of her lineage instinctively guide her as she cast the ancient spells. The words of otherworldly incantations fell from her lips like timeless melodies. Wren felt the force of the ages rush from the core of her being into Gaia beneath her palms. She became the Magick as it wove a tapestry of fortune and serendipity throughout the quintessential essence of the city. Wren knew somewhere in the back of her mind that Puck would be proud and Phoebe would be pleased.  
  
Daria watched her sister-in-law charge the ground with timeless, sacred energy. The honey-tinted strands brightened to a luminous gold as the warm, subtle aura of light left her body and seeped into the ground. Daria knew little of the ways of the Fae and cocked her head in confusion.  
  
"Wren, what are you doing?"   
  
The Fae bowed her head and paused for several seconds saying nothing. Daria didn't know whether to call for help or leave her be. Hazel eyes slowly opened behind gold-rimmed spectacles and looked at her. "Fortune favors the prepared mind, Daria. This street is the street of dreams tonight."  
  
"I don't get it."  
  
"I can alter fate and destiny. I'm just improved our chances." Wren patted the ground. "The urban spirits of the street -glass and steel, care little for the ancient ways, So, they'll be helping us out tonight."  
  
"You -Daria!" A regal voice called to her. The Djinni turned to see Dominique carrying a large tome. "To me!"  
  
"I'm a little busy right now." She snapped, more worried about her sister-in-law than some arrogant dame.  
  
"I need your aid." Dominique riposted.  
  
Daria sighed heavily. She slowly walked down the length of the city block and joined the azure Gargoyle at the corner of 14th and 0'Kault streets. "Yes, O Great One. You rang?"  
  
"I don't have time for your childish sarcasm." Dominique opened the tome that Daria knew too well.  
  
"That's the Tome of Tacitus." She whispered.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"You have the Grimoirum Arcanorum. You have no right to be casting from my Mother's sacred book." Rising jealousy filled the dark-eyed Jinn.  
  
"I am the Dragon's Oracle and Seer." She snapped. "We need to collect every advantage. We haven't long until the portal opens between Earth and the Abyss. We're lucky if we have minutes. Wren has bought us time and I'm sequestering protection. Now, cast this spell in the Draconic tongue to strengthen it or leave."  
  
"You don't give me orders." Dark coffee eyes gleamed with lavender fire. "Ever."  
  
Dominique nearly dropped her Tome as the low rumble of Daria's voice filled the night air. "We need your help. You're the only one who can cast the spell in your Mother's tongue."  
  
Daria hung her head in resignation. She knew Dominique's words to be true. "Have you cast the circle of protection?"  
  
"Already done." The azure dame nodded.  
  
"Have you invoked the four directions?"  
  
"They have been summoned."  
  
Daria cleared her throat and laid one lavender palm against the other. She bowed her head so Dominique saw only a crown of chocolate curls. Brown eyes closed and full lips barely moved. The primal growls and clarity of pristine vowels entwined so that they formed a helix of sound. The Genie fell to her knees and pounded the ground several times with her clenched fist. The ancient words of her mother's tongue came from her. The faint emerald aura cast by Wren lined the streets of Linoma. Daria's incantation brought forth a brilliant violet flame that rose several inches from the asphalt. The High Priestess had sanctified Linoma and consecrated it as holy ground.  
  
Dominique smiled and continued her incantation. Columns of crimson reached from the hardened surface and reached well into the sky.  
  
Utakku and Dorian watched the females use their innate abilities to fortified the area. The Ancient One with ice blue eyes looked down at his new progeny. "They have done well. It's nearly time."  
  
"I know. I can feel it" Dorian replied gravely. The young druid-turned-Sanguine pointed to the Southwestern sky. A maelstrom of swirling clouds rotated wildly on the horizon. Billowing black clouds swirled in an ever-growing circle and thundered echoed in the distance. The winds that blew through Linoma's streets gained power and speed with each passing moment.  
  
A brilliant burst of light exploded over the city. Utakku looked upwards as brimstone and strange, emerald fire rained down around them. "It has begun."  
  
All eyes turned skyward as thunder bellowed across the urban sky. The billowing dark clouds parted and revealed an army of tenebrous dragons filled the air above them. Sleek, serpentine bodies poured through the portal as dozens of innocent watched gawked at the profane marvel occurring above their heads. Daria silently counted nearly fifty winged lizards spill into the night sky. She knew them as minions and progeny of her sister Tiamat. The chiropteran wings of the creatures' glistened dark silver in the neon light of the city.  
  
She heard the roars of the leviathan echo off the glass walls of the skyscrapers. Windows exploded with the sheer magnitude of their roars. It rained shards of glass upon the innocent bystanders in awe of the supernatural spectacle. Wren waved her hand and somehow a building scaffold rolled to block several spectators from falling splinters. Daria realized that the war had began and she desperately searched the skies for the one she called Evil incarnate.  
  
Tiamat.  
  
She saw nothing that indicated her presence. Daria turned to Dominique who was flipping hurriedly through the Tome's pages for the perfect spell. "Domie, these are black dragons. They're dangerous but not undefeatable."  
  
"How do you know?" She hissed. "Damn it, where is that spell!?"  
  
"Listen to me." Daria stilled the Dames shaking hands. She framed Dominique's face and guided it so that she stared the Djinni in the eye. "Black Dragons don't breathe fire -they breathe acid. They're excellent swimmers and are water lovers."  
  
"We have no chance of defeating them if we can't get them on the ground." Dominique continued turning pages in the sacred book of old. "I can't find the spell for rain."  
  
"It won't do any good." Daria replied. "Black dragons are water lovers. Rain is right up their alley."  
  
A glistening arc of emerald spewed forth from several of the dragons' mouths. Daria looked upwards and let forth a short scream. She quickly folded her arms in front of her and bobbed her head. Brown eyes blinked and a golden fog appeared approximately twenty feet above the crowd gathering to watch the exchange between mages and dragons. The tawny vapors caught the cascading droplets in midair and bound them into one large sphere.  
  
"Ever play baseball?" Daria asked Dominique and nodded toward the growing acid sphere.  
  
"I'm a quick study." The Dame smiled slyly and uttered a few words in the ancient language of Rome. The globe rose high above the city in a circling vapor of emerald and gold and hovered in the midst Tiamat's legions. Two or three dragons seemed entranced by the floating sphere as it dangled there for several seconds. They drew closer with talons extended to better inspect the ball. Dominique spoke several words of Latin and the orb exploded the acid collected. Several dragons cried out in pain as the acid steadily and swiftly seared away their skin and ate through their bones.  
  
Wren rushed to the other females and pointed toward the sky. "We have to seal that gateway now!"  
  
Daria nodded curtly. "Understood."  
  
The daughter of Skylaris searched through her memories for a spell to close inter-dimensional portals. Nothing came to mind and no spell applied to the scenario. Dominique watched in horror as more dragons came through the slit between the worlds. She quickly turned to a page in the Tome of Tacitus and spoke the appropriate words. Thunder clapped above the trio and a brilliant luminance filled the sky in an explosion.  
  
Utakku watched the women battle the dragons and cut off their entryway at the source. He nodded silently at the Fae's astute thinking of sealing the rift. He turned to his newest progeny.  
"She comes."  
  
As the final portion of the rift closed, a speedily moving shadow raced through the open aperture. It was an elongated bolt of darkness that quickly swelled and took on the vague shape of a winged creature. The shadows darkened and took on depth. Two gleaming amber eyes appeared among the darkness and blinked. Utakku's head fell and horror descended upon him.  
  
"It is Tiamat."  
  
"Then there is no hope." Dorian whispered gravely.   
  
"There is always hope." The Ancient Sanguine countered. "But it is beyond my abilities to bring down the Queen of the Abyss."  
  
MacBeth soared across the sky and fired upon the creatures with his laser rifle. Dorian cast spells to hurl fireballs at the reptilian minions of Tiamat. The ladies worked diligently to protect the crowd from the downpour of searing green acid. Drakiel and Demetrius led aerial combat against several of the dragons. Yet, with each minute passing, the battle raged on and fell into the dragon's favor. The dark shadow dragon circled the area and silently watched with morbid satisfaction. Dariia knew the tide had turned.  
  
Tiamat's legions were winning.  
  
"These infernal creatures are immune to almost all my spells." Dominique screamed helplessly as she cast yet another spell to bind the creatures' wings to their sides without any affect. "Can't anything take them down?"  
  
Wren's wave of her hand caused two of the creatures to collide into each other in midair. Two massive bodies plummeted to the ground with great speed. One fell directly into several parked cars. The other found itself landing squarely upon the hard brick surface of the street. "Lightning!"  
  
"What?" Dominique strained to hear her sister-in-law above the noise of screaming spectators and roaring dragons.  
  
"Gargoyles are especially affected by electricity." Wren cried out. "Why aren't these creatures affected the same way?"  
  
"I never thought of that." Dominique turned her attention to the young druid only a few yards away. "Dorian, these things might be affected by lightning."  
  
He nodded and raised forth his hands. He chanted the ancient Celtic incantations as a gentle rain fell upon the city. Clouds gathered overhead and the roll of thunder filled the night. Dominique held her hands upwards and cried out the familiar spell that had been both blessing and ally to her many time. "Volumous Beneatae!"  
  
Bolts of liquid electricity webbed across the darkened sky. The bolts danced and arched in intricate patterns. They found their targets without fail. The city lay in ruin from the bloody battle of Gargoyle against Dragon. Acid had destroyed much of Linoma. Buildings burned and much was laid to waste. The lightning impaled several dragons and they fell to earth as scorched corpses.  
  
The bewildered humans gathered along the streets and watched as the winged warriors fought diligently against their reptilian cousins. One by one the dragons fell from the sky as scorched tributes to Gargoyle diligence. There was a horrifying screech that resounded throughout the city. The Dark Phoenix of the Abyss spread her Wings and blocked out the light of ten thousand stars with her sinister silhouette.  
  
Tiamat sounded her battle cry.  
  
The newly sealed fissure ruptured and the walls between Earth and Hell crumbled. Legions of black dragons swarmed through the orifice. Astride the serpents from Perdition were creatures of unspeakable terror.  
  
"By the Dragon, Drakiel!" Demetrius bellowed as mount and rider surged past him. He pulled back his wings to avoid the infernal frost that threatened to cover his wings.  
  
"I don't know, brother." Drakiel circled around to hover above the strange creature. "I've never seen anything like it."  
  
Demetrius saw large, insectoid dark eyes stare back at him. An enlarged head housed the orbs and where a jaw should have been, mandibles snapped in place as they seeming savored the potential meal gliding around them. Skin with a metallic sheen glistened even in the absence of mind; it was inky with a hint of deep green. Four appendages held the reins that guided the dragons while two bottom limbs, akin to grasshopper legs, spurred the dragons faster and harder toward their targets.  
  
"May the Goddess have mercy upon us all." Drakiel whispered as the creatures of Hatchlings' nightmares became harsh, unforgiving reality.  
  
"Athrochons." Daria murmured in ancient Persian. She watched as MacBeth made a pass by several of the fiends and fired off several rounds of laser fire. With wings scilliating in the darkness, each Arthochon warrior produced an eerie light without source or cause. Many alighted from their draconic mounts and spiraled towards the humans watching mindlessly.  
  
The lightning struck the dragons without recourse. The Magickal bolts cast by Dominique helped many targets find oblivion. Yet neither science nor sorcery had any effect upon the insectoid demons infesting Linoma skies. Predators swept down and abducted those unfortunate humans not wise enough to seek shelter indoors. The humming drone of those infernally illuminated wings was the only warning many victims heard. Screams of the doomed faded into the night, as Daria knew the dire fate that awaited all those ill fated to fall into Arthrochon hands.  
  
Daria had battled such vermin in the deep past of Earth's ancient history. She knew these demons made a feast of living human flesh. The demons made no distinction between man, woman, or child. They knew only love of their dark Queen and their unquenchable thirst for dominion. No earthly Magick could stand against them. They were the progeny of the most ancient sorcery and demons of the highest order.  
  
Utakku watched with silent burning anger as Tiamat directed her forces to snatch those standing around him. He remained untouched as the circle of bodies caused the space to widen. The smell of acrid burning flesh and melting asphalt wafted across his heightened senses. Dorian called down the lightning to strike down the dragons. The Ancient One looked skywards. No vampire could fight a demon. If there were no Humans, then there was no hope for him or his kind.  
  
A column of black shadow formed above the Sanguine. Slowly, it shifted so that dark wings shrank and formed arms. The tail disappeared and a more humanoid shape formed above him. The shade of the abyss solidified until a woman stood in its place.  
  
[She is still beautiful.] Utakku studied the siren before him. Her skin was the deep hue of rich amethyst. Smooth silken locks of ebony hair fell past her bare shoulders to her waist.  
  
"It has been a time." A smooth, hypnotic timber came from her dark, full lips. "You have been re-awakened, I see."  
  
"And you have never been brought to justice." The ancient Vampire-King's gleamed with unsuppressed hatred.   
  
"I have done that which has been needed." She waved her hand in an elegant gesture that swept the landscaped. "You were hungry and I fed you. You were cold and I clothed you. You've allied yourself with these weak half-wits and think yourself a noble creature. You are nothing more than their pawn and their fodder until they defeat me."  
  
"They fight well."  
  
"Their cause is lost and you know it, Caine." Tiamat's laughter shrouded them in despair he though long gone. "I shall walk the Earth and will purge the last of these pathetic humans from her surface. Those worthy shall be embraced as my childer and shall inherit that which is rightfully theirs. These abominations called Gargoyles are my mother's attempt to keep my children at bay. Leave them, My Love."  
  
"They cared for me when all others had turned on me." Utakku challenged the dark Nereid. "Her Gargoyles gave of their blood when there was none to be found. They guarded my kind in the First city and kept away the flame in return for sanctuary. The Kindred and the Children of Stone have always been bound close to one another."  
  
Tiamat drew her long nails across the delicate amethyst skin of her wrist. Several dark droplets appeared upon her dusky skin. She held out her arm to Utakku. He saw the drops and he knew their meaning. "Drink of the sweetness, Caine of Nod. You have many names and many guises. You have been many things but you will always be Adams firstborn and first among divine men. Drink of wellspring and be reawakened. Reclaim your birthright as my consort and sovereign above mortals. Walk by my side and we shall rule this realm without end."  
  
He knew well of what Tiamat spoke. One drop of her blood upon his lips guaranteed Utakku eternal existence...or eternal damnation. Because of the destruction of the last vampires, it had allowed Tiamat the opportunity to lay waste to the realm of Humanity. Pride had started all of these millennia ago. It started with jealousy and resentment. [I tried to please my God and it destroyed me. Now, a demon wants me by her side.]  
  
"No more, Demon." Utakku muttered. His hand sliced through the air. "I am no one's fool. This ends now."  
  
The world grew silent as all eyes turned to the Demoness and the Vampire facing one another.  
  
"I call upon the four angels Michael, Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel. I, Caine of Nod, realize the errors of my ways. I was a creature of vengeance and pride and sinned against the One Above. Now, a greater evil threatens this world. I submit to the One's Will. I admit my transgressions. I accept my fault and beg forgiveness. Hear me, One Above! Send down your armies in return for my submission. Drive Tiamat and her damned creatures forever from this world. I ask for Your forgiveness. I am begging for Your divine intervention."  
  
"Caine, what have you done?" A hoarse whisper escaped Tiamat.  
  
"What I should have done long ago." A sinister smile crossed Uttaku's pale features.  
  
Another fissure burned above the city. Daria watched the exchanged between her sister and her ancient associate in wordless awe. [I can't believe he did it. He actually fucking did it. Caine asked for forgiveness.]  
  
Winged legions of the Host came forth with trumpets sounding and swords flaming with all their righteous glory. Daria walked over to Utakku and took his hand in hers. He said nothing as he simply squeezed hers. Dorian found his way to his master's side and gazed at the exchange above them. Dominique stood still as the Host combated the minions of the Abyss. MacBeth landed amidst the rubble and the burning Debris and took in the spectacle. Drakiel landed beside his beloved Wren and protectively cloaked her in his gabardine wings. Drakiel's mouth remained agape as archangels and demons clashed wills and swords in the battle for the world.  
  
It was an endless time that spanned universes and thoughts. It was only a few minutes if measured by the ticking of a watch. Tiamat fell to her knees and her face became a horrified mosaic of loss and betrayal. One of the winged celestial warriors brandished his flaming sabre. His hair flew behind him as brilliant as molten copper and the fires of the sun. His eyes gleamed crimson and his wings were the hue of a cardinal or a robin. Yet, the fires that burned within him gave him the very presence of a phoenix.  
  
"Son of Adam, son of Eve, do you admit to your sin of pride?" Michael's quiet voice froze the burning fear growing within Daria as she held the Ancient One's hand.  
  
Utakku's never fell from the Archangel's gaze. "I admit to the sin of pride. I admit my wrongdoing. Will you help these people?"  
  
"You do this for your own grace?" Michael raised one fiery brow.  
  
"I do this..." Utakku let his gaze wash over the city. "For those who need mercy."  
  
"You have abandoned your pride for meekness in the name of innocents. Your defiance remains, but you have learned from your transgressions." Michael cast his gaze upon the burning remains of the once great Metroplex. "As long as you walk this world, you and your children will no longer dread my everlasting fire. You will be as other mortals, knowing it's burn but it shall never savor your flesh as it once did. A gift from the Prince of Peace is the extinguishing of all flames caused by this battle."  
  
The towering inferno that surrounded them ceased. It simply stopped.  
  
Utakku's gaze fell to the ground. "Thank you, Michael."  
  
"Go in peace."  
  
A creature of mist and vapor appeared before before Daria and Utakku. The golden rays of dawn illuminated her skin and eyes of rose gazed lovingly at the ancient Sanguine. "You have asked forgiveness of the Lord. Do you truly mean the words?"  
  
"Innocents perish because my kind existed then left this world. Let me set things right." Utakku pointed to the Arthrochons who continued to snatch away innocent bystanders. "I ask for your forgiveness. I admit that I sinned and need your absolution. I am BEGGING for it. I am PLEADING for you and your army to stop these abominations. Otherwise, there's no world left for any of us."  
  
"No longer fear the dawn, Caine. None of your children shall know fear of the sun. The rays that once seared your skin will now nourish you. Let the rays of the morning sun bring forth the light that these demons fear so much." Raphael opened wide her golden arms and the brilliant beams of first morning light filled the sky. Daria watched wordlessly fascinated as the Arthrochons became ash and dust with the first shafts of light caressed their bodies. She hissed a silent 'YES' as pillars of ash dissipated in midair. "You will never need to hid from the warm of the sun or fear its wrath. Go in peace."  
  
"Thank you." Utakku kissed the Archangel's hand.  
  
A shade passed between Raphael and Utakku it. It's shadowy essence chilled all within several feet of it. The wraith loomed between them as the smell of death flooded the city streets. Utakku shielded his eyes partially from the brightness of the Midnight Sun and also to ward off Dark Angel that stood between divine light and the mortal realm.  
  
A deep voice colder than the abyss echoed through the glass and steel ruins of the once great Linoma. "The God Almighty left me with the charge that should you mend your ways that you be given penance. This destruction around you is by your own hand, Caine. Your kind brought this upon the mortal children of Adam. Do you accept His mercy and ask forgiveness?"  
  
"I've done that twice already." The strident reply rang in the empty air. "I am who I am and I admit to what I've done. I killed Abel. My childer claimed the lives of countless humans through the ages. I admit that their absence allowed Tiamat the opportunity to bring death and destruction. What more do you want of me, Uriel?"  
  
"Humility." A gleaming smile crossed the shadow's face. "Your complete and utter surrender."  
  
"You have it." Utakku knelt before the Angel of Death. "Take me if you must."  
  
The Black Archangel stared at the Ancient one on his knees. "No, your submission isn't entirely sincere. Nonetheless, I sense the trueness of your intent. As long as one shred of arrogance dwells within you, the curse of God shall never truly be lifted. But, because you have admitted to the error of your ways and sought pardon for your failing, I will grant you some concord. Your children will still drink blood for their well-being. No longer will they know ashes for food. You will live on to be a living testament for your arrogance. You will be permitted to feel the warmth of the sun upon your skin. Your touch will no longer cause all to crumble to dust. Caine of Nod, Son of Adam and Eve, until the stars rain down from heaven you will walk this earth. Know the light of the sun and the Love of God that he allows you to protect His Chosen Children. Do you accept this conciliation?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"You live again. Your heart beats and your lungs breathe air as mortals do. Teach the Sanguine the Nobility and Honor that your earliest Childer possessed. They shall be the new guardians of this final age. Work with others to defend the weak and the powerless and you shall know God's mercy."  
  
"I will."  
  
"Enough!" A quiet voice called out through the death-knells of Uriel's decree. She walked toward her celestial brother. "Uriel, your decree carries your resentment at Caine's defiance. You are not the final law and you know it."  
  
"You have acknowledged the heinousness of your brother's murder. You accept the burden of this crime without condition."  
  
"I do, Gabriel." Utakku turned to face the divine beauty at his side.  
  
"Then let the Sanguine condition be your release and your Golconda. Tell your children of it. Teach them the ways of the Veil and educate them to be defenders of your mortal brethren. You will need blood from time to time. You may walk in daylight and know love once more. You may procreate by mortal means to bring about children. Those whom you have embraced shall remain as such. Should you relent to your old ways, the curse in it's harshest form will descend upon you and there will be no second release. Do you understand?"  
  
"I do."  
  
"You are no longer Vampire. You are Galconda...the way of light of the Sanguine. You are the Herald and Father of Guardians, Sages, Kings and Wizards. Wear it well."  
  
"I will." Tears of blood streaked freely down the chiseled cheeks of the one once named Caine. Daria bit her lip as his sorrow and joy washed over her. Instinctively, her hand came to frame the Sanguine's face and brush away the tears.  
  
"Daru Beletseri, daughter of the Fifth Archangel Skylaris, goddess of vengeance and retribution....step forward." Four angelic voices rang as one.  
  
"Me?" She squeaked.  
  
"The One Above wishes to speak with you."  
  
"Oh, shit." She cursed in Persian. She knew what that meant. She had attempted to outwit and defy the One Above...the Holder of Ultimate Power. Fear filled her heart yet she could neither react nor move.  
  
"Daru." A gentle tenor reached her ears. It's tender address brought tears to her eyes. The Djinni hid her face from the figure that stood over her. "Daughter, look at me."  
  
She felt a hand rest on her shoulder. "Please....."  
  
"Look at me, Daru." The caring and concern of the voice urged her to gaze into the eyes of the One.  
  
"Rabbi...." She sobbed as dared look into the eyes of the Son. "Yeshua."  
  
"It's been a long time." The Aramaic filled her ears. Too many centuries had passed since she had heard the quiet teacher's voice. "You've been busy."  
  
"Am I damned?"  
  
"No." He crooked a finger beneath her chin. She saw the sable hair flow around his shoulders. His beard added years to the boyishly handsome face of the carpenter she remembered. She expected the coarse robes woven by Israelite hands and instead found the blue denim and plaid flannel that was so popular in this new age.   
  
"You don't quite look like I remember." She laughed shakily.  
  
"You haven't changed a bit." Yeshua brushed back an errant curl. "You're still purple."  
  
"Rabbi, I've done horrible things. I'm confused. What's to become of me?"  
  
"Love is the Way of things now, Daru. Let Love flow within you as river to a sea. Drink of it and give of it to others. Let the sincerity of Love guide your actions and wash away the vengeance that burns within you. Look to the Way of Love to bring you peace and inspiration when all else threatens to overwhelm you."  
  
"You still speak in riddles." She growled. "Couldn't you ever give a straight answer just once?"  
  
"You're usually oblivious to the obvious, Daru." Yeshua chuckled. "Besides, it's a good way to make you think."  
  
"Am I forgiven?" She asked.  
  
"You're forgiven. Tend to all the Children: those of night, and earth and stone. Show them love. For what you do in the name of Love you do for Me."  
  
"What happens now?"  
  
"Whatever you allow to happen with Love's guidance." Yeshua's feature brightened so that only the Light of Heaven remained.  
  
"Will I ever see you again?"  
  
"You see me every day when you extend kindness to those in need. The Gargoyle Way is the Way of Love. It is my way. Names are just labels and doctrine is just dressing. Daru, I'm always with you. The Way of Love is inside you."  
  
  
EPILOGUE  
  
The city of Linoma bluffs lay in ash and ruin. The greater part of Old Lincoln was destroyed by the preternatural firefight between Gargoyles and Dragons. The Mayor of Linoma declared a state of emergency and the National Guard declared Martial Law. The surviving Black Dragons were captured and interned at the local zoo.  
  
Those who had suffered strange headaches and vomiting were the most obvious testament to a New Age. Those who hadn't died in the onslaught had been forever changed into creatures of Myth and Legend. Trolls, Goblins, Dwarves, Centaurs now walked the decimated city streets. Those who remained human were challenged with a new way of life.  
  
The Temple Of Skylaris gained new members in 2006 in unprecedented numbers. Golconda (once known as Caine), Dorian and Tina remained in the city to guide the newly begotten Sanguine in the ways of Honor. Tiamat somehow escaped in the chaos to the Abyss where it's certain that she plans another attack.  
  
The Clan currently resides at Summerlands. They are rebuilding the mansion from the ground up since they also suffered heavy collateral damage from the firefight. Dominique's pregnancy proceeds peacefully and the rest of the clan gleefully anticipate the first new Hatchlings.  
  
What happens next remains to be seen.  
  
That is another story for another time.  
  
The End. 


End file.
